Posts by Hadyn Green
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1. The NPC idea. Bottom 4 go down. That's given. So obvious and un iversal.
2. The Super Clubs shifting around. The other 2 countries don't do that; better ways of quelling the Pitchfork Revolution than that.1. Agreed. Shame the NZRU can't change that now. Still I imagine the extra criteria had to be added when the unions grumbled at the various meetings they had about it.
2. Also agreed.
Upthread someone mentioned selecting players from overseas. I think it would definitely be good for when we tour in November, save a bit of money on airfares in these harsh economic times. Even though it does seem nicer to pick players who haven't buggered off to get a bit of cash and a holiday.
But the best thing about it would be that the NZRU could use it's marketing power to make the English clubs release players. And if they did that for us, then they would have to do it for the Pacific nations too.
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No idea about the crowds but it's the most evenly contested comp around (apart from the Isolation Years).
I suppose that depends on how you define evenly contested. Since 1995 five teams have won the title:
Team - Wins (number of finals appearances)
Natal Sharks - 3 (7)
Western Province - 3 (5)
Blue Bulls - 5 (7)
Golden Lions - 1 (4)
Free State Cheetahs - 3 (5)1997-2000 seems to have been the period of greatest equality where no team returned to win the tournament.
In comparison the NRL (a tournament I consider to be very competitive) has had 8 different winners since 1998 and 12 different finalists.
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But in this particular game, going to a full court press, with 3 minutes to go, down by 15 points, was one of a handful of bizarre coaching moves.
I suppose though to win the series they were only 7 points down.
Also I just wanna stick my hand up for a sec. NASCAR drivers are in the main rightly stereotyped as hicks, but there's this little Australian fellow called Marcos Ambrose - casual V8 followers will remember him as the one who had that disagreement with Murph in 05) who is in his first ever season of top-tier and has recorded 2 podium finishes in a row - a big feat for a rookie, a huge feat for someone who only started racing on ovals 3 years ago)
Um, Naly did you have a point or did you just want to talk about Ambrose for a bit? :)
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Is there some Christmas bonus for the PA blogger who comes up with the most surreal headline? :)
Now you mention it...
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International Tri Nations Rugby (All Blacks vs Wallabies) Saturday night Sky TV 444,100
Does that include estimates of pub viewers?
Is there any truth to the idea that netball is mainly enjoyed by people in Canterbury, Otago and Southland?
Where does that come from?
(Look at all the questions you get when you post data)
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Sweet: Kevin Rudd wearing an All Black tie after losing a bet with John Key. Key secretly wishing he'd made the wager more interesting,
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Mum has been in touch. She didn't yell but did shake her head a lot.
[Latu] was awesome. An awesome big, mean bully.
She didn't move about much but I think her size meant Williams couldn't push her about like she usually does. Also Williams would often be standing a couple of metres off Latu rather than constantly in close like Mentor on van Dyk.
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You write such great headlines when you're angry.
<embarassed>Um, I don't get it.
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When players are standing in the midcourt with no one to pass to and getting three-second violations you know it's bad
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Your seems to go something like "Well, Manchester United MAY have come last in the last three premier seasons, but they won it three times in a row so you can't relegate them."
Actually I think that wasn't Naly's point at all. Nice straw man though, very flimsy.
The analogies to the English Premiership are not valid. They are teams moving up and down a multiple-competition structure. Otago and the Highlanders and different teams, with different coaches and players. You can't take the form of one and translate it to the promotion/relegation of the other.
And remember that it's not the movement of a team. If you relegate Man U it still stays in Manchester, the team still exists, the fans can still go and watch them.
What Naly's analysis shows is that a team's final position is highly variable. So almost every year we would have teams moving in and out of the Super 14. Then at the ANZC level teams might start complaining about the All Blacks poaching their players and losing them their franchise. And imagine how many team-hopping Rico Gear-type players we'd have.
Seems like the perfect way to start internal fighting.
Super rugby is currently flawed, but moving teams in and out isn't the solution.